A five year development plan will be implemented under the theme of “An Exotic Tourism Destinstion” to turn the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) into an attractive airline and tourist destination. “The aim of this five year development plan is to make the MRIA also an active airport like the BIA in Katunayake by 2025,” Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said.
The Minister said the airport itself has a one million annual passenger capacity and 45,000 metric tonnes of cargo capacity. This will be further enhanced through this plan,” the Minister said.
Accordingly, MRIA will also be turned into one of the most successful airports in South Asia. Discussions are underway with several international airlines to commence flight operations to the MRIA.”The airport will be a boon to the local aviation industry while being a catalyst for the economic development of the southern province through the enabling of international trade, tourism, vocational training and employment,” he added.